How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse
by Serenity Dragonrider
Summary: While spending the summer in their summer hom. Chris, Re, Aurora, Tenor, and Hiccup all get stung by a Venomous Vorpent. They all fall ill and will die in a week if the cure can't be found. The cure is the potato and its up to the remaining dragons and riders to find it in time.
1. Chapter 1

Race Against Time

The dragons' homeland of Draconia was currently facing a very rainy week. It came down like boiling water out of a Scauldron. Lighting and thunder were constant, as was the wind. None of the dragons were out and about, it was far too windy for flying and there was too much lighting. All through out the country dragon families were in their caves around their fire pits, sleeping through the storms.

The royal dragons in the Draconian Castle were no exception. They were supposed to head to their summer home on Dragon Island, but had been grounded by the storms. Just before he fell asleep, King Re had sent a Hermes Dragon to the Isle of Berk explaining what was keeping them and that they would take off when they had the chance.

King Re laid on his bed fast asleep next to his mate Queen Aurora. Their two young dragonets, Prince Apollo and Princess Avalon were asleep next to them on their own bed. Elsewhere in the castle Re and Aurora's eldest son Chris, his wife Serenity, and their daughter Edelweiss were in their room. They were the only ones in the castle who were awake. Serenity was reading a new book Queen Aurora had gotten with her magic; The Ugly Duckling. Edelweiss was sitting in her lap. She was five years old now and learning to ride a dragon. She was taking lessons on Tenor since her own dragon, Black Widow, was still too young for a rider.

Finally the sun came out ending the storms. The dragons all woke up, feeling refreshed. Re, Aurora, and their two dragonets were among the last ones to wake up. Re opened his blue eyes and sat up. He yawned and stretched. Aurora sat up and smiled at him.

"Hello," she said as she stretched her wings.

"I thought that would never end," Re said. Aurora got off the bed and stretched like a cat.

"We can head to Dragon Island now," she said.

"First I want to check the Dragon River," Re said. "Just to make sure it's not going to break its banks after all that rain." Aurora flapped her wings to keep them from cramping up. Then she stared straight ahead, her face went blank. Then she smiled.

"The river is fine," she said. "It did rise a few feet, but it's far from overflowing." She then turned to Apollo and Avalon and nudged them. They opened their eyes and got to their feet.

"Are we going to Berk now?" asked Avalon.

"As soon as we round everyone up," said Re. He opened one of the many windows that made up the wall of the room. He spread his wings and flew out into the moist air. The others followed him and they went to where the rest of their family were.

They landed on the balcony. Chris and Serenity were saddling up their dragons. They looked up when Re entered.

"Is Eider coming with us?" asked Avalon.

"Yes," Aurora said. "They're meeting us there." At that moment Black Widow came out of nowhere and pounced on Apollo. They rolled around on the balcony. They ran passed Aurora who stomped on Apollo's tail to restrain him.

"That's enough you two," she snapped.

"Yes Mama," Apollo said. At that moment the others came out onto the balcony. Serenity put Edelweiss onto Tenor's saddle and secured her with a safety harness. Then Serenity mounted Tenor behind her. Chris mounted Windwalker. They took off and flew over the lagoon.

They flew over the Golden Gates. Just as they cleared the gates Avalon looked over her wing, and got a big surprise.

"Mama look," she said. They all followed her gazed and saw a huge rainbow arching over the castle.

"Wow, that's the biggest rainbow I've ever seen," Apollo said.

"Rainbows are always worth a thunderstorm," Aurora said. "Come on."

"Do we have to Mama?" Avalon said, still looking at the rainbow.

"There will be other rainbows," Aurora said. She thrusted her wings back and resumed flying. The others followed and they headed for Berk.

It took them 24 hours to reach the waters between Berk and Dragon Island. It was evening the following day when they reached the throne room of the Dragon Island Castle. They landed on the ledge throne and folded their wings. Chris and Serenity dismounted and Serenity helped Edelweiss down.

"Ah, that's better," Re groaned. He laid down on his cushion.

"Can we go to the tide pools?" Avalon asked.

"Yes, but you can't stay out long," Aurora said. The dragonets spread their wings and flew to the tide pools.

When they got there they found Eider already there. He looked up from the crab he was snacking on.

"So, you've finally arrived," he said. "I was getting lonely. How was your flight?"

"Uneventful," Apollo said. "We saw a rainbow over our castle on the way out, but apart from that nothing."

"How's Edel?" Eider asked.

"She's great," Avalon said. "She's learning to ride."

"We should bring her out here," Black Widow said. "So we're all around these tide pools. But I'm too young for a rider."

"We may be old enough," Apollo said. The others looked at each other.

"We would need a saddle that fits," said Eider. Apollo smirked. Then he shook himself and flapped his red wings. When he stopped Edelweiss's saddle was on his back. He had used his magic to put it there and shrink it down to his size.

"That'll work," Eider said, impressed.

"That reminds me," said Black Widow. "We're almost adults, when are we going to get a chance to earn our thrones?"

"Mother wants us to build teamwork first," Avalon said. "But we'll get our chance."

"Meantime I want to see if we're old enough for a rider," said Apollo. "I mean, how heavy can they be?"

"Let's go find out," said Eider. They spread their wings and flew back to the cave Edelweiss shared with her parents and their dragons.

They landed on the balcony. Edelweiss was outside by herself, her parents were inside turning her crib into a small bed. She looked up from her fake china tea set when the dragons landed. She gave them a big smile.

"Hi," she said.

"Hello Edel," Black Widow said. She laid down beside her rider. The other dragonets laid around the tea set.

"I thought you went swimming," Edelweiss said.

"And leave you with no one to play with?" said Avalon. "That doesn't seem fair." Then Edelweiss noticed the saddle on Apollo's back.

"What's that for?" she asked.

"I was wondering if the three of us were old enough to have you on our backs," Apollo said.

"I'm not supposed to fly without adult supervision," Edelweiss said.

"Well then we won't fly, we'll just walk around the balcony," said Apollo. "Besides it would probably not hurt as much if you fell of one of us, than if you fell off my uncle."

"Good point," Edelweiss said. "Okay." She got to her feet and the dragons followed suit. She walked up to Apollo.

The dragonets had grown a lot over the years. Avalon, Apollo, and Eider were now the size of clydesdale foals, while Black Widow was the size of an Arabian foal. There wing muscles were fully developed. Black Widow's shoulders were not developed enough to carry a human, not even one as small as Edelweiss.

Apollo knelt down and Edelweiss mounted him. After a second Apollo heaved himself onto his feet. Edelweiss clung to the saddle. Apollo didn't find her that heavy. He began walking around the balcony. He walked at his normal pace which was quite fast. Edelweiss enjoyed it. The riding lessons she had in the past paid a big roll. Apollo soon sped up into a trot.

"Let me know if I get too fast," he said.

"Okay," Edelweiss said. Apollo sped up his trot. The other three dragonets watched in amazement. Apollo had just sped up into a canter when Re and Aurora landed on the balcony.

"What are you two doing?" Re asked sternly. Apollo slowed down to a halt.

"Just riding," Apollo said.

"Do your parents know you're flying without supervision?" Aurora asked Edelweiss.

"We're not flying," Edelweiss said. "We're just riding around the balcony. Watch." She steered Apollo around the balcony. He sped up to a trot, then a canter. The king and queen watched quietly. Finally Apollo slowed back down to a halt. Re and Aurora couldn't help but be impressed.

"It seems our minds were so stuck in the past that we didn't realize how grown up you all are," Aurora said. The dragonets beamed.

"Chris, Serenity, will you guys come out here a second," Re called. Chris, Serenity, and their dragons came out.

"Edel wants to show you something," Aurora said. She then nodded at her granddaughter and youngest son. Apollo did more laps around the balcony. He went from a walk, to a trot, to a canter, then back down to a walk. Apollo then pulled up alongside his fellow dragonets. He knelt down and Edelweiss dismounted. She ran to her mother and Serenity picked her up.

"I can ride now Mommy," Edelweiss said.

"Fun isn't yet?" Serenity said.

"Yeah, can I fly?" Edelweiss asked. "Please?"

"Not today," Serenity said. She set Edelweiss down.

"You can't keep them kids forever," Re said. "Sooner or later you just have to let them grow up." They all murmured in agreement.

They all turned in for the night. Edelweiss now had her own room that was created by a Whispering Death. It was linked to her parents' room, and their dragons' caves. The bed had turned from a crib to a small wrought iron bed. The iron was twisted into the shapes of dragons. On the head board was a large edelweiss flower. The pedals were made of white gold and the middle was made of regular gold. Hanging from the ceiling over the bed was an enormous net made of white rope, so when Black Widow went to bed it looked like she was sleeping in a large spider web. The bed had been made by Hiccup and Gobber, Re sent them a Hermes Dragon shortly before the storms hit. After they said good night to their parents, Edelweiss crawled into her bed and Black Widow curled up in her net web. They both fell asleep in seconds. Like most dragon riders, Edelweiss dreamed of flying.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next morning the Draconians all flew to Berk. Edelweiss rode with her dad on Windwalker. They soared over the harbor and landed next to the Golden Apple Tree. Re had announced their arrival as they flew over the plaza. When they landed Chris and Serenity dismounted, and Chris helped Edelweiss down.

"Perhaps we should plant a few of these trees on Dragon Island," Aurora said, looking up at the Golden Apple Tree.

"That's a great idea," Re said. "They can survive in any climate. If Serenity can spare a few seeds." Serenity picked an apple from the tree.

"Then my poor little tree won't be lonely way out here," she said. The dragons looked up at the tree, which was far from a little tree. Serenity used a knife to cut the apple in half. She plucked the two golden seeds from the middle of the apple. She put the seeds into a tiny bag and handed it to her king. Then she cut the apple into slices and distributed them.

"Can we go play now?" asked Apollo, jumping all over the place.

"Okay," Re said. "But please stay out of trouble." Apollo boosted Edelweiss onto his back. The dragonets then ran off towards the plaza.

They ran all over the village. Edelweiss gripped the saddle as Apollo ran between the legs of humans and dragons alike. They galloped into the plaza again and met Stormfly. She squawked in surprise when the dragonets ran passed her.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" she asked. The dragonets stopped in their tracks.

"We're just playing Ms. Stormfly," said Avalon. "Edel is finally old enough to ride by herself." Stormfly looked at Edelweiss. She lowered her head to the child's level. Edelweiss petted Stormfly's beak.

"Well aren't you a big girl now," Stormfly praised. "Are you flying yet?"

"No," Edelweiss said. "I'm just riding on the ground. Watch." She steered Apollo all around the plaza at various speeds. Then they came to a stop again.

"Have you tried flying by yourself?" asked Stormfly.

"Mommy and Daddy don't want me flying without supervision," Edelweiss said.

"Well it's true there are risks involved with flying," Stormfly said. "But it's definitely worth it."

"I don't want to disobey them," Edelweiss said. At that moment Stormfly heard Astrid calling her. She came up beside her dragon and saw Edelweiss and the dragonets.

"Come on lets go to the woods, there's more room to run around there," said Eider. The dragonets ran off again. They ran passed Gothi the village elder. Just as Apollo ran passed she pinned his tail down with her staff. Apollo stumbled to a halt, which lodged Edelweiss from the saddle. She screamed as she hit the ground hard and started crying. Black Widow ran to her side and sniffed her for injuries. She had a skinned knee and elbow. Apollo tried to free himself by attacking the staff. The riders and their dragons heard the commotion and came to investigate.

"What's going on?" asked Hiccup.

"That witch just made me buck Edel off my saddle," Apollo said, still struggling to get free. Gothi let him go so she could write in the sand.

"She says they were going to fast," said Fishlegs. "If they had been going slower Edelweiss wouldn't have fallen." They turned to Edelweiss who was still crying into Black Widow's scales. Gothi wedged her staff between the two. Black Widow gave a frightened squeak and flew off. The other dragonets flew off, scared of Gothi. Then Gothi wrote in the sand again.

"She says it's too dangerous for a child to be around a dragon thats poisonous," Fishlegs. Edelweiss sat in the dirt, alone, and still crying. She looked at her knee, which was bleeding.

"Well I guess she has a point," said Astrid. "Black Widow could easily kill Edelweiss by accident." Gothi approached Edelweiss but the child grew frightened and ran towards the nearest dragon, which was Toothless. She hid under his wing and hugged his left front paw.

"Sorry Edelweiss," the Night Fury whispered. He licked her cheek. "It'll be okay, where's your mommy?"

"Under the tree," Edelweiss said, calming down. "My knee hurts."

"Which knee?" Toothless asked. Edelweiss showed him her right knee. Toothless licked it with her special saliva. After a while it stopped hurting.

"Thank you," Edelweiss said. Then she saw Gothi walking up to them She screamed and ran further under Toothless.

"Edelweiss, she's not going to hurt you," said Astrid. "You don't have to be afraid."

"Well didn't she just cause Edelweiss to fall off the dragon?" said Tuffnut. Gothi hit him with her staff. This made Edelweiss even more afraid. Toothless stepped back and boosted Edelweiss onto his saddle. At that moment the dragonets came back with the adult Draconians. They landed in the plaza, no one looked happy. Chris and Serenity dismounted. Edelweiss stood up on Toothless's back. She ran down his tail, onto the ground, and over to her parents.

"Are you picking on my granddaughter Gothi?" Re snarled. Gothi wrote in the sand.

"No, just trying to keep her from hurting herself," she wrote. "And she's not your granddaughter." Re snarled again. But then he calmed down.

"Well that's your opinion," he said. "But I suppose I can't be too angry if the intentions were good and if it doesn't happen again." Gothi turned and walked off. Edelweiss got back on Apollo.

"When did you guys get in?" asked Hiccup.

"Last night," Re said, sitting on his haunches. "It was a very bad string of storms back at home and that probably wasn't the last of them."

"So you get the same amount of storms throughout the year as we do?" Hiccup asked.

"Pretty much," Re said casually, scratching an itch behind his horns. "But dragons are adaptable."

"Do you have any plans for while you're up here?" asked Astrid.

"I plan to put golden apple trees on Dragon Island," Re said. "And Draco says that the volcano is extinct so I'll refurbish the castle."

"What does that mean, extinct?" asked Fishlegs.

"That means the volcano is turned off permanently," said Tenor. "It won't erupt again."

"Can we go play now?" asked Eider.

"Sure," Aurora said. "I'll summon you when it's time for bed." Avalon rubbed against her mother's legs before she followed her friends.

"It's hard to believe Edelweiss is riding already," said Astrid.

"You better believe it," Chris said.

"Vitamin recently discovered that she was born with dragon's blood in her veins," Serenity said. "So like me, she has the same strengths and weaknesses as dragons."

"Wow," said Hiccup. "So technically she is Re's granddaughter."

"Yes," Serenity said. "But I'm not going to trust Gothi with that secret."

"Anyway," Aurora said. "We should start up construction again."

"Speaking of which," Re said. He reached the tip of his tail into his saddlebags and pulled out a huge bag of coins, he handed it to Hiccup.

"That's for Edel's bed," the king explained. With that Re and Aurora took off and headed for Dragon Island. Chris, Serenity, and their dragons stayed behind in case of emergencies.

The dragonets ran through the woods chasing each other, sining songs the whole time. They passed some of Valka's dragons that had made nests in Berk's hills and caves. Soon they came to the Cove and stopped at the ledge. They looked down into the Cove. It looked just the same as always. The dragonets were all convinced that the Cove was magic, like time stopped whenever you entered it.

"Should we go down there?" asked Eider.

"Sure," said Avalon. "No one ever said we couldn't."

"Hold on tight," Apollo said to Edelweiss. The dragonets spread their wings and glided into the Cove. They landed on the edge of the lake.

"I like this place," said Black Widow. "Nice and quiet."

"You want to try flying Edel?" asked Apollo. "We won't go far just around this cove." Edelweiss seemed hesitant.

"What if I get hurt?" she asked.

"I know how to heal a wound," said Avalon.

"So do I," said Apollo. "Besides, Hiccup learned to ride in this very Cove and nothing ever happened to him." Edelweiss sighed.

"Okay," she said. Apollo beamed. He spread his wings and flew over the lake. Edelweiss gripped the saddle as the dragon's wings went up and down. They circled the lake. Apollo gave Edelweiss a few pointers on staying in the saddle when he turned. They slowly flew higher and higher over the lake. Edelweiss soon grew used to flying solo and grew to love it. Apollo picked up speed. Then he went in for landing. He glided down and landed next to the others. He looked over his shoulder at Edelweiss and found her smiling.

"Wow," she said. "That was fun, especially the landing."

"I can tell you were born to ride," Eider said.

"Well, I was raised in the saddle," Edelweiss said.

They took off again and landed on top of the wall and headed back towards the village. They sang more songs and raced each other. But then suddenly Apollo came to a dead stop, and refused to move. He stared wide eyed at the trail in front of him.

"What is it?" Edelweiss asked. The other dragonets followed his gaze and froze. Right in front of them was a dragon the size of a crab. It had the body, legs, tail, and pincers of a scorpion, the head of a snake, and the wings of a bee. It was bright yellow with a red stripe down its back, red pincers, and red stinger. It stared back at the dragonets, flicking its forked tongue in and out like a snake. It clicked its pincers menacingly.

"Do you know what that is?" Apollo whispered horrified.

"It's a Venomous Vorpent," said Black Widow. "It's as poisonous and deadly as my spider." They looked at the Vorpent,and it looked right back at them. It hissed and clicked its pincers.

"How do we get by?" asked Avalon. "Those things are fast."

"I don't know," said Apollo. "Looks like we're not getting home without being stung."

"What happens if it sings you?" asked Edelweiss.

"You die, slowly and painfully," said Apollo. "The venom shuts down your insides one by one, until it reaches your heart. You die within a week."

"But Mommy will know how to cure it," Edelweiss said. "She can cure anything."

"There are some venoms in the world that I don't think even the best Dragon Healer can cure," Black Widow said. "Like mine for example, which is why that witch chased me away from you." Then the Vorpent spread its wings and buzzed closer to the dragonets. They backed up quickly, startled. Then it turned and buzzed off.

"For a second there I thought we were done for," said Eider.

"Let's go before it comes back," said Avalon. They galloped back to the village as fast as they could.

"We should tell everyone," Apollo said. "So they can be on guard."

"Good idea," said Black Widow.

They soon came up to the apple tree and halted on the bare patch of Dragonnip. Re and Aurora were there along with the riders and their dragons. They looked up from their conversation about updating the Dragon Island Castle when the dragonets came barreling up to them.

"There you are," said Aurora. "I was just about to call you." Then she saw the anxious looks on their faces. "What's wrong?"

"We just saw a Venomous Vorpent," Avalon said. "A big one." They all became alert.

"Are you sure?" said Hiccup.

"Yes," said Eider.

"Did sting anyone?" asked Re.

"No," said Apollo. "It just looked at us then buzzed off."

"Thank you for telling us," Re said.

"Is there a cure for their venom?" asked Windwalker.

"Yes there is," Aurora said. "Its a vegetable called the potato. It's extremely hard to find. It grows in a land far to the west of here, humans won't discover it for along time."

"How far west?" Hiccup asked. "I've been west and all I've seen is more ocean."

"This land is on the other side of the ocean," Aurora said.

"But there is nothing on the other side of the ocean," said Astrid. Aurora looked confused for a minuet then realized something.

"Oh, you Vikings still think the world is flat," she said.

"Isn't it?" said Fishlegs.

"Nope," Aurora said. "It's round like the apples on this tree."

"What's this place called?" asked Hiccup.

"It will have many names," Aurora said. "But the most common name it will be known by is North America. It will be divided into three countries; Mexico, America, and Canada."

"I assume there will be there's a South America," Re said.

"There will be a North America, Central America, and South America," said Aurora.

"And that's the only place to find this potato?" asked Toothless.

"Well Draconia might have one," Aurora said. "Dragons are going to that landmass all the time and bringing back exotic foods."

"What does it look like?" asked Snotlout.

"It's oval shaped," Aurora said. "And the color of dirt. But humans will make different things out of it that require salt and vinegar."

"Well what are we going to do if that Vorpent comes here?" asked Fishlegs.

"Tomorrow we'll head back to Draconia and look for potatoes," Re said.

"Can we come?" asked Hiccup. "We haven't seen a whole lot of your country."

"Oh sure," Re said. "This will be a great opportunity for you lot to get a tour of my lands." He yawned and stretched his wings.

"I've hired the Screaming Death to dig out more caves and tunnels," he said. "So we'll spend the night here, to keep out of his way."

The dragonets curled up beside their elders. Edelweiss was tucked into the camp bed that was inside the apple tree's trunk. Chris and Serenity slept under the stars with their dragons. The Berkians all flew home as the sun set and the moon came out. The Draconians settled down and fell asleep. Little did they know that they were being watched by a yellow, scorpion-shaped dragon. The Vorpent was hovering in the top of the apple tree, concealed by the dense leaves. When the coast was clear it buzzed to the ground. It ate a few mouthfuls of Dragonnip. Then it moved forward towards the Draconians. It stung four of them before buzzing off again. It landed on the window still of one of the Viking houses and stung one of them. Then it buzzed out the window and looked for a place to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The sun rose the next day. It made the Golden Apple Tree shine. Edelweiss and the dragonets woke up. The dragonets tried rousing their elders, but got no response. Serenity and Windwalker woke up a few minuets later. They assisted the dragonets with trying to wake up the others.

"Mama! Mama! Wake up!" Avalon shouted. She tugged on Aurora's horns, nothing.

"Are they dead?" asked Windwalker. Serenity checked Chris's pulse.

"No, they're still alive," she said. Then something caught her eye. She lifted Chris's left arm. She saw a red puncture wound, and two pincer shapes on either side of it. She got her medical bag off Tenor's saddle and pulled out a small book. She flipped through it. She stopped on a picture of the same puncture wound. She read the pages and sat back in horror.

"Oh no," she said. "It's Vorpentitas, the Venomous Vorpent stung them."

"It must have been the same one we saw yesterday," said Apollo. He looked on the verge of tears. At that moment Stormfly and Cloudjumper landed on the Dragonnip and Astrid and Valka dismounted.

"What happened here?" asked Astrid.

"They all got Vorpentitas," said Serenity.

"Them too?" said Cloudjumper.

"Why who else got it?" asked Serenity.

"Hiccup," said Valka. "We should get these guys down to our house were Gothi is examining him." Windwalker and Serenity exchanged a glance.

"We'll need some help," Serenity said.

"I'll be right back," said Astrid. She got back on Stormfly and took off to fetch the other riders. While they waited Valka helped Serenity get Chris on Windwalker's back.

When the riders came back they transported the royal dragons down to the Haddock house. Windwalker followed with Chris, and the dragonets went on foot with Edelweiss on Avalon. Serenity walked down by herself with her medical equipment. When she reached the big house on the hill she opened the door and found all the victims, except Hiccup, on the ground floor still unconscious. Everyone else was quiet as Gothi examined the patients. Astrid was holding Hegan. Serenity sat next to Windwalker and kept Edelweiss from getting in the way.

Soon Gothi wrote on the floor and Fishlegs translated.

"She says they have Vorpentitas," he said. "And she doesn't know of any cure."

"The cure is the potato," Serenity said. "Aurora said so yesterday."

"She said the potato is only found on the country called America," said Astrid.

"Yeah, she also said there might be some on Draconia," Serenity said.

"How long do we have?" asked Snotlout.

"A week," said Apollo. "One week to look through eighteen cities."

"Eighteen?" said Snotlout.

"Well we better get started then," said Fishlegs. At that moment Aurora woke up and lifted her head. Avalon and Apollo ran to her side.

"Mama are you okay?" Avalon asked. The queen groaned in pain.

"For now," she said. "I heard what you guys said. There is a good chance Draconia will have potatoes. But you Berkians will need a guide though our lands."

"But you're took sick," said Astrid. "Can't you use your magic?"

"I could," Aurora said. "But I have a better idea. Avalon, Apollo, you and your friends should lead this quest."

"Us?" said Apollo.

"Yes, you're ready," Aurora said. The dragonets looked at each other, doubt in their eyes. The queen smiled.

"I'm not asking you to go to war," she said. "I'm asking you to go grocery shopping."

"Oh, I guess when you put it that way it doesn't sound so hard," said Apollo. "Where should we look first?"

"First look in the smallest towns," Aurora said. The dragonets nodded. Then Avalon nuzzled her mother.

"Don't worry Mama, we'll find it," she said. Then the dragonets turned to the group.

"We'll guide you through our lands," said Apollo.

"You?" said Snotlout, doubtfully. The dragonets looked at each other.

"We're going to find the potatoes," said Avalon. "You can come with us or you can stay here." The dragonets went outside. Aurora smiled with pride.

"Well we should get a move on if we want to reach Draconia by night fall," Astrid said. The riders and their dragons went outside where the dragonets were waiting for them.

"Ah, you're all coming, this will benefit us greatly," said Eider.

"I can't believe I'm taking orders from a bunch of midget dragons," said Tuffnut. Avalon hissed and head butted Tuffnut in the groin. He doubled over in pain.

"Anyone else want to protest?" asked Apollo. No one said anything.

"Then come on we're waisting time," said Black Widow. The riders mounted their dragons, Serenity rode her husband's dragon. They took off and headed towards Draconia. Tuffnut was squirming uncomfortably the whole them. The dragonets led the way over the ocean.

It took all day to reach Draconian waters. The dragonets sang songs the whole way to pass the time. They passed other dragons out fishing. They greeted the dragonets then flew off before Avalon could ask about potatoes. Soon they reached the northern coast as the sun set. They flew over the Golden Gates, over the lagoon, and over the castle. They landed on the front lawn in front of the large doors.

"When do we start?" asked Fishlegs.

"Immediately," said Apollo.

"Do we really need to start so soon?" asked Astrid. "We're pretty tired and hungry after that flight." The dragonets looked at each other.

"We still have several more days," said Black Widow.

"Fine," said Avalon. "But we start first thing tomorrow. Dawn til dusk." The dragonets led the way into the castle.

"I hope you all don't mind sleeping in the great hall," said Avalon. "Its the only room big enough to hold you all."

"That'll work, we brought bed rolls," said Astrid. They went into the Great Hall and Apollo opened the doors. The room was empty except for the four large thrones at the back. The dragonets didn't bother to turn on the lights.

"Wow, this place is even bigger when it's empty," said Snotlout.

"Find a place and make yourselves at home," Avalon said gloomily. "We're probably going to sleep here too." The riders and dragons spread out on the floor of the Great Hall, some slept on the balcony above. They laid out their bed rolls and the dragons made themselves comfortable. The dragonets went up to the platform where the thrones sat. Black Widow climbed into Windwalker's throne, Avalon climbed into Aurora's, Apollo climbed into to Re's, and Eider climbed into Tenor's. Edelweiss snuggled alongside Black Widow, the throne was plenty big enough for the two of them.

Out of the corner of her eye, Windwalker saw Serenity slip out the door. Windwalker suspected that she was heading for her and Chris' room. She turned and followed her. They went up through the castle to the room they shared with their family. Windwalker found Serenity on the second floor, sitting on the large bed that had replaced the bean bag chair. She was looking at the white wedding dress that sat in the corner on a mannequin. It looked as clean and new as the day she wore it. Windwalker walked up to her and nudged her hand.

"You're worried about Chris aren't you?" she said.

"I'm worried about all of them," Serenity said. "They've never been so vulnerable." She stroked Windwalker's neck. "I don't know what I'll do if we fail."

"Hey, don't give up yet," Windwalker said. "We haven't even started."

"I know," Serenity said. "I've never lost a patient, not once." Windwalker thought for a few minuets, for a new subject. Her eyes fell on the white dress. There was a small table next to it, with a stand on top, and a copy of Cinderella on the stand.

"Why put that book next to your dress?" Windwalker asked. Serenity looked over as well.

"Have you not heard of the story of Cinderella?" Serenity asked.

"No," Windwalker said. "Chris only said it was your favorite fairy tail."

"It is, I find I have a lot in common with Cinderella," Serenity said. "No dragons of course, but little mice and birds." She used her magic to make the book glide across the room and into her hand.

"It's about a girl, my age I think," Serenity began. "She lives with her stepmother and stepsisters after her father dies. They treat her like a slave, making her do all the chores. They make her sleep in the attic where it's coldest. She sleeps next to the large hearth, like I used to, she wakes up covered in cinders. Thats where she gets the name Cinderella. The king holds a ball for his son, the prince, to choose his future bride. The stepmother and stepsisters go without Cinderella, as they tore up the pink dress she made for the occasion. They leave for the ball and Cinderella is visited by her fairy godmother, which is where the term fairy tail comes from I suppose. Her fairy godmother turns her pink dress into beautiful blue gown that sparkles, and her shoes into a pair of glass slippers. With more magic the fairy godmother turns a pumpkin into a carriage, and the animals into servants and horses. Cinderella is whisked away to the ball after the fairy godmother warns her that the magic ends at the stroke of midnight.

At the ball the crowd is mesmerized by the late arrival of Cinderella, in her pretty dress and unique slippers. The prince dances with her, before showing her around the castle grounds. Time gets away from them and before she knows it, midnight strikes. Cinderella runs off back towards her carriage, and in her hast leaves behind one of her glass slippers. She gets into her carriage and they head for home. They arrive just as the magic runs out. Afterwards the prince goes from house to house, trying to find the girl who fits the one glass slipper. He eventually arrives at Cinderella's house but the stepmother locks her in the attic so she can't try on the slipper. With the help of her animal friends she manages to get out and downstairs just as the prince is about to leave. She tries on the slipper, despite the stepmother's protest. Not only does the slipper fit, but she has the other one. Having found his bride, the prince marries Cinderella and she lives with him in the castle. I've read it so many times that I have it memorized." She ran her fingers over the fancy cover of the book, which had a picture of a glass slipper in the middle under the title.

"I can see how you can relate to this story," Windwalker said. "You were living in hell before you came here."

"Yes," Serenity said.

"Though I doubt Cinderella was ever hit with a shovel," Windwalker said.

"No," Serenity said. "But she was bullied by her stepmother and stepsisters, a lot."

"I can guess who the Prince is to you," Windwalker said. Serenity smiled sadly.

"The only difference is, the Prince rides a horse," she said. Windwalker chuckled.

"What other fairy tails have you read?" she asked.

"Quite a few," said Serenity said. "Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, the Little Mermaid, and the Snow Queen. Aurora says these stories will one day become quite famous."

"Which one is your least favorite?" asked Windwalker.

"Snow White," said Serenity. "I find that she's not very bright, she's handed an apple by a creepy old witch and it never crosses her mind that it's poisonous. But I'm finding that my second favorite fairy tail is the Snow Queen." She went over to the bookcase near the bed and pulled out a white book. It had no picture on it, just the title.

"I've very recently discovered this one," she said, sitting back on the bed. "Aurora says it will turn into a story of two sisters, one of which has magic and shuts herself away because of it. But this story is entirely different. And the story is very similar to my life as well." She opened it up to the first page. Windwalker laid down to listen, she was satisfied with her success in driving the current crisis out of her mind.

Serenity read the story until she got too tired to continue. She fell asleep with the book over her eyes. Windwalker then realized she was sleeping on Chris' side of the bed. With all the talk of fairy tails Windwalker hoped that Serenity's happily ever after would last a lot longer than this. With that on her mind, Windwalker fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Early the next morning all the dragons woke up, and roused their riders. Avalon reach into a pouch on the back of her mother's throne. She pulled out a large map of the country and joined the others. Serenity and Windwalker were there already. Avalon spread the map out in the middle of the Great Hall.

"We'll need to spit up," Avalon said. "Each of us go to as many towns as possible before the day runs out."

"I'll do Bluegreen and Apple Grove," Serenity said. "I can ask Vitamin."

"Okay," said Apollo. "But we should all go to at one or two cities."

"But we know nothing about this place," said Eret. "Where are your cities?" Avalon used her magic to conjure up more maps for the others.

"You should let your dragons do all the talking," Apollo said. "Our town leaders don't speak human languages."

The riders picked out the cities they would check. Serenity picked Apple Grove, Bluegreen, and Mountain City. Avalon picked Appleoppolise and Big Town. Apollo picked Dragon City and Royal Town. Eider picked Appleville and West Harbor City. Black Widow picked Songville and Rainbow City. Astrid picked Lost City and South Harbor City. Snotlout picked North Harbor City and Smaltown. Fishlegs picked Silver Lake City. The Twins picked East Harbor City. And Eret picked Flyingtown. Eider marked the cities on the riders' respective maps.

"Great we'll be able to search the whole country in one day," said Black Widow. With the plan set they all went outside to the front lawn. The riders mounted their dragons and took off. The dragonets followed suit. They flew in different directions. Edelweiss said she would stay behind and take a nap.

Serenity steered Windwalker into the capital city. They landed outside the large Bluegreen hospital. The building was made of concrete and glass, with a sloped grassy lawn. From the air the building looked like a giant wagon wheel with three stories. Serenity dismounted and the two of them went inside. Serenity immediately spotted her mentor, Vitamin. The Healer Dragon was conversing with his eldest son, NyQuil. He was brown with a midnight blue stripe down his back and green eyes.

"Vitamin, NyQuil," Serenity called. The two dragons looked up at them.

"Serenity, what brings you back here?" asked Vitamin.

"Have you heard of Vorpentitas?" Serenity asked.

"Yes I have, why?" asked Vitamin.

"Re, Aurora, Tenor, Chris, and Berk's Chief all got stung by the Venomous Vorpent," said Windwalker. Both Vitamin and NyQuil looked surprised and worried.

"Do you have any potatoes?" asked Serenity.

"Let me check," said Vitamin. "Wait here." He turned and went down the nearest hall. NyQuil looked back at Serenity and Windwalker.

"Vitamin was just talking to me about giving me this hospital," he said. "He says he's getting to old and thinks Lord Draco will bring him up to the Eternal Skies."

"What?" Serenity said, shocked. "Not Vitamin, I owe him so much."

"We all do love," NyQuil said. "But that's life at its worst. Don't worry, I'll take good care of his hospital." At that moment Vitamin returned.

"I found one potato," he said, holding it up. Serenity threw her arms around him. Vitamin looked at NyQuil.

"I told her what you just told me," NyQuil explained.

"Oh," Vitamin said. He hugged Serenity back. Windwalker sat on her haunches patiently.

"Don't worry my dear," Vitamin said. "I have no idea when Draco will take me. But I know it's coming and I want to be prepared." Serenity let him go. He handed her the potato.

"Thank you," she said. "Not just for the potato, but for everything." Vitamin smiled.

"You probably should find more of these," he said. "The more the better." Serenity just nodded.

"We should get going," Windwalker said. "We're the only ones checking three cities."

"Right," Serenity said reluctantly.

"I'm not going anywhere for a while," Vitamin assured her. "Draco gives us a warning when he's about to take someone. You should go, and please give my regards to our good king and queen."

"We will," said Windwalker. "Thank you Vitamin."

They went back outside. Serenity put the potato into the pocket of her riding jacket then mounted up. They took off and headed south towards Apple Grove. As they flew over the rolling hills and green forests, Serenity continued to read Snow Queen. Windwalker was starting to see what it reminded her of. The plot sounded similar to what happened with Hael.

"Serenity," she interrupted. Serenity paused in her reading.

"Yes?" she said.

"Why would you read a book that reminds you of the terrible things that happen to you?" asked Windwalker.

"It tells me that someone else as has been through it," said Serenity. "They know exactly how it feels. Should I continue?"

"No," Windwalker said. "It's a great story, I'll admit that. But it's too similar to that event."

"Well okay," Serenity said. She put the book away. "But I also read this story because I love the ending, really cool."

They flew over the country side, other dragons passed them. Then they were flying over a wide, deep canyon. It was filled with dense thorns the size of large daggers and swords. It was Dragon Claw Canyon, not a friendly place. Serenity refused to look down at it. This was where Ruby had crashed all those years ago, and had died shortly afterwards. Even though Ruby was back on Earth, it still haunted Serenity's memory. Windwalker noticed her tension.

"This is the canyon isn't it?" She said.

"Yes," Serenity whispered. "And I haven't been back this way since then, nor have I been to Apple Grove, hence the reason I picked it." Windwalker turned and headed east towards Apple Grove.

Before long the small city laid out before them. The large glass apple sat in the middle, glittering like a diamond in the early morning light. Dragons flew everywhere. Serenity remembered the city, laying in the valley beneath the tall mountains, surrounded by giant golden apple trees. These trees were three times the size of the apple tree Serenity owned. They were big enough to house the dragons who lived there. Serenity steered Windwalker towards the cave in the mountains where Ruby lived before he was run out of town by a bully. Windwalker landed on the ledge outside the cave. Serenity had only met Ruby's siblings the one time. Serenity dismounted and knocked on the door. It was opened by Ruby's eldest brother, and the town leader, Emerald. He was a tall sliver Whippertail, with dark green squares down his head, neck, and tail. He also had dark green eyes.

"Hi Emerald," Serenity said. He looked surprised.

"Serenity? Wow we haven't seen you in so long," he said. "Last time you were here you were small and helpless." He and the other siblings already knew that Ruby was back on Earth as he had his own cave in Apple Grove.

"Emerald, we've come here on an emergency," Serenity said. "The royal dragons, and Chris got stung by the Venomous Vorpent and the only thing that can save them is a potato. Is there any in Apple Grove?" Emerald narrowed his eyes in thought.

"Hmm, there might be," he said. "How long do you have?"

"A week," Windwalker said. "The riders of Berk are here in country as well, looking in the other cities." Now Emerald got worried.

"I would have to ask around," he said. "You two can go inside while I ask." He spread his wings and headed for town. Serenity and Windwalker entered the cave.

"You haven't been here since you were little?" Windwalker asked.

"I was on Berk," Serenity said. At that moment they found Ruby's other siblings around the fire pit. They looked up at their visitors.

"Serenity!? Is that you?" asked the closest, Ruby's middle sister Zircon. She was light blue with dark blue squares down her back.

"Yes," Serenity said. Zircon got to her feet and walked up. Serenity smiled at her.

"Long time no see," Zircon said.

"Sorry," Serenity said. "I had lots to do."

"Oh, we know," Zircon said. "We know you took up the occupation of Dragon Healer." Serenity turned to Ruby's other two sisters. The eldest was amber gold with white on the tips of her wings and horns. Her name was Amber. Crystal was the youngest. She was white with silver wings. She had been a dragonet the last time Serenity had been in this cave. Now she was fully grown.

"What have you been up to this whole time?" asked Amber. "Besides becoming a Dragon Healer? Ruby said you got married."

"Yes, and he's one of the ones who has Vorpentitas," Serenity said.

"Ooh not fun," said Crystal. "Is it that human boy you grew up with?"

"Yeah, Chris," Serenity said. "Windwalker here is his riding dragon." The three dragons looked at the Night Fury.

"So there are now two humans who rides a Night Fury," said Amber. "What is this world coming to? Even the most exclusive dragons are letting humans run their lives."

"Toothless and I don't let humans run our lives," Windwalker said. "But we do let them be apart of them."

"Hmm," said Amber. "I still don't see why humans even exist. They don't do the land any favors."

"You're not the first to say so out loud," Serenity said. She looked at the ground. All four females looked at her. Windwalker already knew what she was thinking.

"What?" asked Zircon.

"Has Ruby ever told you what an old friend of his did?" Windwalker asked.

"You mean the Changewing, Hael?" asked Amber. "We know about her. We thought she was a good friend to Ruby. He actually didn't like humans a whole lot either. But when he saw Serenity kicked out by her own kind, just as he was, he couldn't help but show compassion. But the last we heard of her she was still on that island they lived on, the Isle of Peace."

"Well she turned up again," Windwalker said. "And almost got Serenity killed." The three sisters all gasped.

"Really?" said Amber. Windwalker looked at Serenity with a questioning look.

"She kidnaped me to get back at Ruby," she said. "She used her hypnosis to control Chris and Windwalker, she made them kidnap me. Then she made a Speed Stinger paralyze me so I couldn't escape. She kept me prisoner the whole time. Ruby and Harmony came to rescue me, but Hael had plans for them." Serenity stroked Windwalker, almost leaning on her as the memory was a heavy one. "She made Ruby choose between me and his mate Harmony. When he couldn't choose Hael took control over him and made him take me to a cave right under the ocean. She tried to make him kill me, I was so sure he was going to. Then, using sheer will, he broke free and unlocked his titan wing. He got me out of there and I fell asleep as I waited for the Stinger's venom to wear off." The three sisters looked at each other in shock.

"Wow," Amber sighed. "You poor thing."

"It's okay, it's over now," Serenity said.

At that moment Emerald returned. He held two potatoes in his talons. He stood next to his sisters.

"Theses are all I could find," he said. "From our winter supply."

"I don't want to steel from you winter supply," Serenity protested. "And have you all starve." Emerald chuckled.

"Don't worry," he said. "We still have plenty. Plus we would give anything for the salvation of our good King and Queen, we owe them a lot." He handed Serenity the potatoes and she put them in Windwalker's saddlebag.

"We should get going, we have one more place to go," Serenity said.

"Right," said Emerald. "But will you come see us afterwards? You're pretty much a niece to us."

"Sure," Serenity said. She hugged each dragon in turn, before following Windwalker back outside. Serenity mounted up and they took off. They headed northeast towards Mountain City.

They flew quietly over the vast plains, the tallest mountain there was dwarfed by the castle. There were small lakes and ponds everywhere. There were more than enough golden apple trees to make a dense forest. They crossed the mile wide Dragon River. It was very high after all the rain and storms. Dragons swarmed it, snatch trout and spawning salmon like hawks. Windwalker noticed that there were other creatures at the river. Giant eagles flew among the dragons, ferries buzzed across the water like insects, mermaids swam just beneath the surface trying to not get snatched up by a dragon on accident, and on the banks of the river herds of wild unicorns grazed and drank the water.

"Our king is rather generous," Windwalker said, watching the activity.

"Re and Aurora know that humans would love to kill anyone of these creatures," Serenity said. "They let them live on their lands, free from being hunted." Windwalker looked down at the unicorns.

"Humans want to hunt them?" she asked.

"Yes, the dragons took pity on them and opened their borders," Serenity said. "That's the same reason Chris and I live here, we're the rejects of the human world." She reached into the saddlebag and pulled out the Snow Queen. She opened it and read quietly to herself.

Soon they reached Mountain City. Unlike the other cities which were made up of buildings, Mountain City was inside Draconia's tallest mountain, Mt. Soaring. It rose right out of the large lake that ringed it. Dragons buzzed it. Serenity steered Windwalker towards the gate that was set right in the side of the mountain. The flew in and landed on the limestone floor. The whole inside of the mountain was made of limestone. Stalagmites and stalactites were everywhere. The ceiling was quite high. Serenity and Windwalker walked down the corridor, and Windwalker soon realized that it was actually a street. It was surrounded by limestone pillars. The only light came from outside. More streets branched off the large one. Large, deep caves were on either sides of the streets.

"Not a typical city is it?" Windwalker said.

"Well, not for humans," Serenity said. "They might call this a nest, rather than a city." Suddenly the street ended at huge wall of water.

"That's Hidden Falls," Serenity said. "The water eventually empties out in the Dragon River."

"Who are we looking for exactly?" Windwalker asked.

"His name is Everest, and his mate is Vesuvius," Serenity said. "We're almost to their cave." She led the way along the waterfall.

They turned onto another street and headed away from the waterfall. Serenity came to a large door, made of marble. The stone had the carving of Mt. Everest on it. Serenity knocked on the door. It opened and a dragon the color of dried lava stepped out. She had lava colored eyes.

"Hello Vesuvius," Serenity said. "Where's Everest?"

"He's fishing, he should be back any minuet," said Vesuvius. "Can I help you?" Serenity and Windwalker told her the crisis, and she listened to every word.

"Do you have any potatoes?" Windwalker asked. Vesuvius licked her black teeth, thinking hard. At that moment they were joined by a dappled grey Whipfang with a snow white stripe down his back. He was just coming in from fishing.

"Everest, do you know if we have any potatoes?" Vesuvius asked him. Everest furrowed his brow.

"We should," he said. "I'll check our supply." He turned and cantered off. Vesuvius invited her guests inside while they waited.

A fire in the fireplace lit up one end of the narrow cave, and a huge stain glass window was at the other end, letting in daylight. The picture of the window was of a starry night sky, the constellation Draco was depicted in gold stars, while the other stars were silver. A grass green carpet covered the stony floor. The limestone walls were smooth and pink. Windwalker looked sad. Serenity put her arm around her.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"My nest would have looked like this," Windwalker said. "If it hadn't been destroyed. The architecture was very similar."

"Lots of nest and cities have been destroyed by humans," Vesuvius said quietly. "I'm sure many of them would have looked like this, maybe even better. Humans want this planet all to themselves. If I had my way Serenity, Chris, and Edelweiss would be the only humans in existence." Serenity gave a small smile.

Soon Everest returned. He held a large potato in his talons. He gave it to Serenity and she put in the saddlebags.

"Only one potato?" Windwalker asked.

"They're very hard to find," Everest said. "Humans grow them and we usually have to steal their crop."

"Maybe Draconia should grow their own then," Serenity said. The two dragons nodded in agreement.

"Chris will be okay now," Vesuvius said. Serenity sank to her knees.

"I wish he was here," she said sadly. The dragons gave her looks of sympathy. "I wish they were all here."

"You miss them," Everest said, it wasn't a question. Serenity just nodded. She sniffed and wiped her tears away. With her other hand she fiddled with the dragon scale locket around her neck. Inside it were photographs of Chris and Ruby, both photos had recently been updated since both individuals had come back into her life.

"We should head back to the castle," Windwalker said. "The sooner we get back together, the sooner we can see them."

"Right," Serenity agreed. "Thank you Everest, Vesuvius."

"Our pleasure," Everest said. "Say hello to our King and Queen for us."

"We will," Serenity said, getting back to her feet.

Everest opened the large window, indicating that it was actually their front door. Serenity mounted her husband's dragon and they took off. They flew back to Bluegreen and the castle. The sun was starting to set. They wondered if the others had been as successful as they were.

They soon landed on the front lawn. Serenity dismounted and they went inside. They went into the Great Hall. It was empty. They were the first ones back, despite the fact that they had three cities to visit. Serenity looked into Windwalker's saddlebags, checking the potatoes they had collected. Edelweiss was sleeping in Tenor's throne. She had spent the day exploring the castle. Serenity knelt beside the large throne and gently roused her sleeping child. She opened her eyes.

"Mommy you're home!" she exclaimed softly. She hugged her mother. Serenity picked her up and sat on the throne, which was much too big.

"Have the others come back?" Windwalker asked.

"No," said Edelweiss with a yawn. Windwalker curled up on her own throne. They all dozed off, while they waited for the others.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As the sun set the rest of the group came back, no one else found potatoes. They were quite disappointed. However all the Berkians were really blown away with how unique each city looked. Avalon had gone to Appleoppolise, Draconia's largest city. It was five times the size of Rome and Athens combined. It was unique because the streets were all made of glass. It was run by a whole council of dragons, each one was given their own district to run.

Fishlegs had gone to Silver Lake City. It was located on the north shore of Silver Valley Lake, and expanded a few miles up the Dragon River. It got its name because every winter the sky turned silver with snow clouds, as did the water beneath, and the landscape turned white with snow. But during the summer the water was blue and the landscape was green.

Black Widow had gone to Rainbow City, which was located on an island near the southern shores of the country. The city sat at the bottom of a deep canyon, on the banks of a wide river, surrounded by many waterfalls, the largest being Rainbow Falls. The waterfalls kicked up so much water vapor that rainbows were constant. It was a very colorful city, even without rainbows.

Astrid had gone to Lost City. It was located on the other southern island, in a cove near Appleoppolise. It was no bigger than Berk, but the unique thing about it was that the city was located inside the island, not on it. The buildings surrounded a large underground lake. Sunlight came in through the top, allowing trees and grass to grow. They entrance was very exclusive, but Stormfly followed the other dragons. She had to go in alone as humans weren't allowed in the city, except for Serenity, Chris and Edelweiss.

When they all returned to the castle they told each other about the cities they visited.

"Have you seen this place?" said Snotlout said. "It's so cool."

"I know," said Eret. "Shame we didn't find potatoes."

"I have a few," Serenity said. "So we haven't failed yet."

"Ah, good," said Avalon. "We'll head out tomorrow. We should have plenty of time." She yawned and stretched. Serenity and Windwalker went up to their room. Edelweiss slept next to Black Widow on Windwalker's throne. Everyone fell asleep as the sun vanished behind the horizon. Avalon, Edelweiss and Black Widow stayed awake. They talked quietly amongst themselves.

"We'll be back on Berk by this time tomorrow," Avalon said. "And our parents will be on the mend."

"You guys did a great job for your first time," Edelweiss said.

"Thank you Edel," Avalon said. "Your mother did a fine job getting those potatoes." Edelweiss smiled with pride. They sang quietly the rest of the time, until they fell asleep.

The next morning, it was raining hard and a storm was blocking their way. Everyone was disappointed. Time was running out, and Avalon had lost track of how long they had been away from Berk. She paced up and down the throne platform, in complete distress. The other dragonets were no different.

"Can't we take off anyway?" asked Astrid.

"No, too windy," Apollo said.

"We've flown through storms before," said Snotlout.

"And you've reached your destination on time?" asked Black Widow. No one spoke.

"All we can do is wait for it to clear up," said Apollo. "I just hope it's soon."

"When is does stop raining I know away to avoid the storm entirely," Serenity said. "Draco showed me when I was riding him."

"In the meantime why don't we have a tour of this castle while we wait," Eret suggested. The dragonets looked at each other.

"It's better than sitting here doing nothing," said Eider.

"Alright," Apollo said. Then he said a quick, silent preyer to Lord Draco that the rain would end soon. Serenity checked the potatoes again.

The dragonets led the group through the castle. They went to all the rooms. They went through the museum that showed the history of dragons.

"What kind of dragon is that?" asked Tuffnut, pointing at the large T-Rex fossil in the middle of the room.

"That's not a dragon," Apollo said. "It's a dinosaur. They used be all over the place, they're similar to dragons except they don't breathe fire."

"Why aren't there and dinosaurs now?" asked Snotlout.

"They went extinct millions of years ago," Eider said.

"How?" asked Astrid.

"Different ways," said Avalon. "Some were killed by our kind, some died of natural causes, some due to freak changes in whether, droughts, natural disasters, and some didn't die at all they just evolved, they changed because the land did." The dragonets led them through the museum, then back into the main part of the castle.

They saw the Castle Library, the lounges, the sewing room where Serenity made all her clothes, they saw the arena and the armory. They went to the section of the castle where Aurora kept all her priceless artifacts. There were many items in there; the Cup of Life, magic rings, King Arthur's crown, Merlin's staff, and a diamond, a very large diamond. It was in the middle of the room, on a pedestal. It was the size of a grapefruit and perfectly clear.

"Draco made that diamond himself," Avalon said. "It has the power of good fortune. It's one of the reasons our nation is prosperous and what keeps us hidden. Draconia would be a sitting duck without it." Snotlout went to grab it but Avalon bit his fingers and he withdrew his hand.

"Touch it and my mother will kill you," Avalon said. "This gem keeps us all safe. Lets go." They led the group back towards the hallway. Snotlout stared a little longer at the diamond.

The group went up to Re and Aurora's room. When they got there they found that the rain had finally stopped. This pleased the dragonets. Avalon opened the window. The riders mounted their dragons, Edelweiss got on in front of her mother.

"Okay sister," Eider said to Serenity. "You get to lead us passed the storm."

"Right," Serenity said. They took off and Serenity steered Windwalker up towards the air above the clouds. The others followed. It was a rather windy journey. Lighting flashed all around them. But soon they broke through the cloud cover, and into clear skies. Windwalker navigated the way towards Berk. Suddenly Avalon noticed something.

"Serenity, where did you say you put the potatoes?" she asked.

"In the saddlebags," said Serenity. She turned to look in the saddlebags, but found that they had been blown off. She looked horrified.

"Oh, no," she said. "It must have gotten blown off in the storm."

"What do we do now?" asked Black Widow. "Go all the way to America?"

"No," Apollo groaned. "We don't have time. We just have to get back to Berk, and..." He couldn't finish. The atmosphere grew dark and sad.

"No," Serenity groaned, burying her face in her hands. "I lost them."

"Don't blame yourself sister," said Eider. "We're in charge of this quest, we take the blame."

"We better speed it up," said Apollo. "If we want to get back before Grandfather takes them."

They flew further north, back towards Berk. Serenity was very upset. She had been in charge of the potatoes, as they were the only things that could save her family. Edelweiss had fallen asleep. Serenity started crying. Windwalker's ears twitched at the sound.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked. "Don't worry, you're forgetting Aurora has magic. She might be able to do something."

"You're right," Serenity said, calming down. "Still a plan B." She wiped her tears away with her sleeve. She gripped the saddle, hope starting to return to her.

They flew over the storm clouds towards Berk. No one said anything, all feeling the weight of failure. Eventually the storm was behind them and they could see the ocean. The sun moved across the sky. They reached the archipelago as the sun began to set. Before long they arrived back at Berk and landed in the plaza. Toothless was out and about doing his job as alpha. He looked up when the group landed.

"Did you find the potatoes?" Toothless asked.

"Yes," Serenity said. "But we flew through a storm and I dropped them into the sea by accident." Toothless's face fell.

"How are the patients?" Astrid asked, as everyone dismounted.

"They're very weak," Toothless said, and Serenity translated. They all went up to the Chief's house.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Inside they found Hiccup and the Draconians all on the ground floor. Valka and Gobber had brought Hiccup's bed down, and brought one for Chris. The royal dragons were on the floor. They were all unconscious, death hung in the atmosphere. Serenity sat in a chair next to Chris.

"You didn't find the potatoes?" Valka asked.

"We did," said Black Widow. "But they got lost in a storm."

"Well, it was Serenity who lost them," said Snotlout. "She had all the potatoes and the saddlebag fell off."

"Snotlout!" Astrid roared.

"What is that not what happened?" Snotlout said. Serenity burst into tears and laid her head on Chris' shoulder. Hookfang went over and gently nudged her.

"Don't listen to him," said Hookfang. "Snotlout's a bit too realistic."

"But it's true," Serenity sobbed. "I did drop them, now they're all going to die." She broke down crying. She reached into her pocket to get her handkerchief, and her hand touched something hard and rough. She pulled a large potato. She recognized it as the one she got from Vitamin. She remembered that she had put that one in her pocket instead of the saddlebags.

"You had one in your pocket?" asked Eider.

"Yeah, I completely forgot is was there," Serenity said. "I got this one from Vitamin."

"That means we can still cure them," said Avalon. Gothi went up to Serenity and held her hand out for the potato. Serenity hesitated. Hookfang growled, not clear on Gothi's intention.

"Gothi wants to give it to them," Valka explained. "And you should all wait outside for this." Serenity surrendered the potato and reluctantly followed the others out of the house.

Edelweiss rode around the plaza on Eider, the other dragonets followed. The adults sat on the front steps. No one said anything while the cure was being distributed. Serenity sat quietly on the grass, with both Night Furies on either side of her. She wasn't accustomed to waiting outside. According to Toothless; Ruby, Harmony, and Cloudjumper had found the Venomous Vorpent and it was being held prisoner on Dragon Island until the King and Queen recovered.

After an hour the doors opened and Gothi allowed them inside. Serenity was about to enter last when Gothi shut the door in her face, hitting her in the nose. Confused and a bit hurt, Serenity sat back down. She was by herself, everyone else was inside. Suddenly she felt something coming out of her nostrils. She put her hand to her top lip, and found that it was bleeding. She pulled out her handkerchief and held it to her nose. She felt rather dizzy and nauseous.

Inside the house the Draconians had come round. They were quite exhausted and stiff, but they were awake and the potato was working fast.

"How are you guys feeling?" Valka asked.

"Heavy," said Re. He rested his head on his front paws. He scanned the room, and noticed someone was missing.

"Where's Serenity?" he asked.

"She has to wait outside still," Valka said. "It's far too crowded in here." Then she spotted the disappointed looks on all their faces.

"Don't worry," Valka continued. "She'll get her turn. In fact we'll let her sleep here until you all recover." Re looked around again, the room was quite crowded. He exhaled and a gust of smoke billowed of his nostrils.

"As long as you don't forget about her," Aurora said.

"We won't," Valka assured her. The Draconians went back to sleep to let the potato work. The dragonets also fell asleep, satisfied that their quest had been a success.

Outside Serenity's nose had stopped bleeding and she had cleaned it up. She was pacing up and down in front of the house. She was trying to work out why she wasn't allowed inside. The longer she had to wait, the more she grew afraid that the potato hadn't worked. She started to crying into her bloody handkerchief. She had lost a good chunk of her family in one day. She looked down at her wedding ring. Her happily ever after was drawing to a close. She took off her dragon scale locket and looked at the two photographs inside. She slid the ring off her finger. She tied it to the chain that secured the locket. She needed no reminder that her family was dying. She turned and headed for the woods, leaving both items behind.

She walked through the darkening woods. Her hands were in her pockets and her head was bowed. She hadn't stopped crying the whole time. She wasn't going anywhere in particular. The sun vanished and the full moon came out. She looked up at it. The full moon had been there in all the importuned events of her life. It had been a full moon when Serenity gave Chris his coat, it had been a full moon when Ruby came back to Earth, the moon was full when Chris came home, it had been full when Chris asked her to marry him, it was full her first night as a married woman, and when Edelweiss was born. The full moon had seen it all and there it was again, at the end.

She walked further into the woods. Suddenly her foot snagged on something in the dark and she hit the ground. She tried to get her foot out but it was wedged between something tight and rough. She lay there in the moon light. Her hat had fallen off and was no where to be seen. She gave up trying to free herself and cried herself to sleep.

Back at the big house the riders were filing out. They all turned and headed home. Valka was about to let Serenity inside, but found that she wasn't there. She spotted something gleaming in the moonlight. She bent over and picked up Serenity's wedding ring and dragon scale locket. She turned and went back inside. The dragons were all sitting up. Chris was sleeping.

"She's not there Re," Valka said. "All I found was this." She tossed the ring and locket to him. Re caught it and recognized it at once. He handed it to Aurora. The Queen looked straight a head for a few minuets. Then she looked shocked, and sad.

"Serenity thinks we're dead," she said. "She got the wrong idea when she wasn't allowed in here. She left these behind because she thinks she's alone and doesn't want painful memories." Re growled in frustration.

"So where is she?" Astrid asked.

"Lost," Aurora said. "In more ways than one."

"We should go find her," Re said. He tried to get up, but didn't quite have the strength.

"We'll find her your majesty," Toothless said. "You rest." Re laid back down. Toothless, Stormfly, and Cloudjumper ran out of the house.

They gathered up the other dragons, explaining what had happened. They spread their wings and took off. Toothless looked on land, since he wasn't wearing his tail fin. He galloped through the forest. He sniffed the air. Soon he caught the sent of Dragonnip and followed it. He activated his Titan Wing so the other dragons could see him in the dark.

They looked all night for the Dragon Healer. They refused to give up. In the early morning Cloudjumper glided over trees and suddenly spotted Serenity laying at the foot of a large pine. She was fast asleep and soaked by the morning dew. Cloudjumper sent up a fire signal then landed. He folded his wings and approached Serenity. He gently nudged her. Her skin was freezing. She stirred and lifted her hand. She felt around as thought looking for something. Cloudjumper nudged her hand.

"Serenity wake up," he said. Serenity's eyes fluttered open and she lifted her head.

"Cloudjumper?" she said weakly.

"Are you cold?" the dragon asked.

"Now that you mention it, I do feel a bit chilly," Serenity said. At that moment the other dragons arrived. They landed and formed a ring around her.

"There you are," said Hookfang. "The King and Queen are worried about you."

"You mean they're alive?" Serenity asked.

"They're fine," Toothless said. "They're all okay, Chris too." Serenity looked so relieved. She tried to sit up but her foot was still stuck. The dragons looked to see that her foot was wedged tightly in the roots of the pine tree. She struggled to get free but failed.

"Hold still," Toothless said. He pulled his teeth into his gums. Then he gently gripped Serenity's leg in his jaws. He wriggled it about a bit, trying to free it. But it was still stuck.

"I can't get it out," he said. "It stuck too tightly."

"Well, we can always chew her leg off," said Skullcrusher. They all glared at him. Serenity struggled to get free.

"Stop," Hookfang said. "That won't help, you'll only break your ankle." Serenity laid back down and went limp. She felt around for her hat. She spotted it well out of her reach. She stretched her hand out towards it. Stormfly nudged it towards her. She gripped it and put it back on. She tried to turn onto her back, but the tree root wouldn't let her.

"Try taking your foot out of your boot," Meatlug said. Serenity used her free leg to attempt to get her boot off. But that failed as well.

"How did it even get in there?" Cloudjumper asked.

"I don't know," Serenity said. "I didn't see it happen." Toothless looked carefully at the roots around her foot. They had a vice-tight grip on her calf. Five thick roots were swashing her foot to the ground and a sixth one was keeping it wedged next the others. The sharp bark cut her skin every time she struggled. Toothless could tell that all her struggling had only made things worse, and lodged her foot deeper into the tangled roots.

"How stuck am I?" Serenity wanted to know.

"Very," Toothless said. "I'm not sure we can get it out without human help."

"We could burn the tree down," Hookfang suggested.

"Do any of you have an idea that doesn't involve causing her further harm?" Toothless asked. Serenity just lay perfectly still.

"I'd swore to myself I'd be laughing when something like this happened," Belch admitted. "When a human knew what it felt like to be trapped. But now I'm here, and I don't find it funny."

"Same here," said Cloudjumper. Suddenly he saw Serenity shivering from the cold.

"Well we should go get our riders," Stormfly said. "They'll know what to do."

"I'll stay here," Toothless said. He laid down beside Serenity, keeping her warm. The other dragons spread their wings and took off.

They returned with their riders, they even brought Gobber. Toothless jumped to his feet. Serenity opened her eyes.

"Is it true?" she asked. "My family is still alive?"

"Yeah," Astrid said. "They're awake now and very worried about you." Serenity tried again to pull her foot free, and failed.

"Alright hold still," said Gobber. He knelt down and worked on getting Serenity's foot out of the roots. Then at long last her foot came free. She rolled onto her back and sat up. She felt very stiff and her foot had fallen asleep.

"Thank you," she said. She slowly got to her feet and leaned on Cloudjumper. She put her foot on the ground and put weight on it. It tingled a lot.

"Does it hurt?" Gobber asked.

"No, it just fell asleep," Serenity said. "The boot prevented anything too bad."

"We should get you back to the village," Eret said. The riders mounted their dragons and took off. Serenity turned to Cloudjumper. He knelt down and she climbed onto his back. He took off and glided after the others.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Re was slowly waking up, he could smell Dragonnip. He opened one eye. The room was dark. He could tell it was the middle of night. His head was resting on something and someone was stroking his snout. He opened both eyes. He recognized the sent at once.

"Is that you Serenity?" he croaked.

"Yes," Serenity whispered. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Re said. "Are you okay? I heard what happened."

"Yes sir," Serenity said. "Just a little scraped." Re shifted about with a groan. Serenity was sitting on the floor next to him, leaning against his shoulder, and had his head resting in her lap.

"Serenity," he said sternly. "Don't go off on your own like that again. We were really worried about you."

"I'm sorry your majesty," Serenity said sheepishly, hugging his head. "I thought I had lost you, and that's why I wasn't allowed in." She was quite used to the dragons being overprotective of her. She wasn't bothered by it like most people.

"It was too crowded in here, that's why you couldn't come in," Re said. "Sorry if that wasn't explained to you. And you'll have to leave in the morning until we're walking again." He felt her slouch in disappointment. He used the tip of his tail to reach into his saddlebag and retrieved something. He lifted his head gently and grabbed the thing in his jaws. He nudged Serenity's hand. She opened her fist and Re placed something in her hand. She felt around with the fingers of her other hand, it was her locket and wedding ring.

"You can put those back on," Re said. "We're not leaving you." Serenity put the ring an locket back on. Re put his head back into her lap.

"We should grow a few potatoes on both Dragon Island and Draconia," Serenity said.

"Yes," Re said. "We will once this blows over. How are the others?"

"They're sleeping peacefully," Serenity said. "I checked. None of them have a fever anymore."

"Ah, good," Re sighed. He started to fall asleep when a thought occurred to him. "How long have you been up?"

"All night," Serenity said. Re growled in disapproval. Serenity felt his lip curl over his teeth. He used his wing to pull her closer to his shoulder. She laid her head on his warm scales. She could hear his heartbeat. Though Re had half a heart, he still had a normal heartbeat. They both fell asleep.

The next morning everyone woke up, except Serenity and Re. Gothi and Valka checked all the victims of Vorpentitas. They had all improved overnight. Both Chris and Hiccup were sitting in chairs instead of laying in bed. Edelweiss ran over to her mother and hugged her. Serenity woke up and hugged her back.

"Good morning my flower," Serenity said softly.

"Can we go flying today?" Edelweiss asked.

"Sure, we'll go this afternoon," Serenity said. Edelweiss beamed and went outside with the dragonets. Serenity laid her head back down to go back to sleep.

"Does she really have to sit outside by herself?" asked Aurora. "It really doesn't seem fair."

"Well, I suppose she doesn't have to," Valka said. "As long as she stays where she is. Besides, you guys are pretty much cured now so when you feel well enough rested you can go back to Dragon Island." They all smiled at this.

"We'll have a Dragon Race later," Hiccup said.

"Ah, that's something to look forward to," Tenor said. He stretched his stiff limbs.

"On another bright side," Astrid said. "We finally got to see Dracoina."

"Uh, what'd you think?" Aurora asked, casually crossing her front paws.

"Such a unique place," said Astrid. "I can see why you guys speak so highly of it." Aurora smiled. Then she slowly got to her feet and stretched catlike. Tenor followed suit.

"I am so glad that's over," he said.

"We should get those two up then head back to Dragon Island," Chis said, also getting to his feet.

"I wonder why they're so tired," said Aurora.

"They were talking last night," Tenor said, who had a talent of hearing what was going on the the real world while he slept. He lowered his head to Serenity and licked her cheek. She stirred and woke up.

"Hi," Tenor said. Serenity sat up and yawned. Aurora roused Re. He opened his eyes and sat up as well. Serenity hugged Tenor's neck.

"Good to see you guys up and about," she said. "I was so sure I was going to loose you all." Tenor helped her to her feet. Re was the last to get to his feet.

They went outside one by one. The sky was it's usually cloudy. The dragons stretched their stiff wings. Chris took Serenity's hand in his. He looked at her, then he laughed. The whole right side of her face had a dragon scale pattern imprinted on it and he realized it was from sleeping on Re's shoulder all night.

"What's so funny?" she asked confused. The dragons all followed his gaze and laughed as well. Aurora handed Serenity a small mirror.

"Oh," she snickered. "That's interesting." At that moment the riders came up to them, followed by their dragons.

"I guess that means you guys are cured," said Fishlegs.

"Yup," said Tenor. "It's time we really got to work on the refurbishing."

"Is Hiccup awake?" asked Eret.

"Yes," said Re. The riders filed into the house.

The Draconians all went up to the Golden Apple Tree where Edelweiss and the dragonets were running about. They were greeted by Ruby and Harmony.

"Re, Banshie finished up digging those tunnels," Ruby said.

"Thank you Ruby," Re said. "We should start up the refurbishing right away." He stretched his wings to prevent cramps. Then he spotted the unhappy look on Serenity's face.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

"Vitamin's retiring," Serenity said. "He sure that Draco will take him soon."

"I know," Re said. "Vitamin's been saving lives a lot longer than you have, and he's getting worn out."

"I ow him so much, including for that potato," Serenity said. She sat in her chair and Chris sat next to her.

"He has a long way to go before Father takes him," said Aurora. "He still has to coach NyQuil to take over for him."

"Times are changing aren't they?" Chris said.

"Times are always changing," said Re.

"Avalon and Apollo said you saw that the human race will fall ill," Windwalker said to Aurora. Aurora sighed.

"Yes, and it won't be pretty," she said. "Humans will fall ill with a disease that no one will know how to cure, or stop. It will only last three years, but it will kill 20 million people. I can't make out what it will be called, all I see is the color black. It will cause the human to unravel at the seams. The future can't happen without it though."

"What will the symptoms be?" asked Tenor.

"Flu like symptoms," said Aurora. "Only more intense. Humans will cough up blood, and develop huge, dark swellings on their neck." She plucked an apple from the tree. "About this big."

"Ouch," said Re.

"But it won't be for a long time," said Aurora. "Plenty of time for our kind to prepare. In the meantime we should go to Dragon Island and start this project."

Chris mounted Windwalker, Serenity and Edelweiss got on Ruby, Tenor didn't feel restored enough for a rider. They took off and headed back to Dragon Island. When they got there, several more tunnels and rooms had been carved out of the rock. The throne room was deeper in the volcano, where the Red Death used to sleep, in the very center of the volcano. All the rooms and hallways had been lined with polished lava stone, with glowing crystals in iron baskets. The crater of the volcano had been closed off by a glass roof that could be opened and closed depending on weather. The entrance the dragons used to use to bring the Red Death food has been turned into the front gates, similar to the ones at Mountain City, the ivory doors on the ground level were meant for humans. The Draconians only used less than half the mountain, the rest was used by the local dragons.

The Draconians flew through the front gates and down the massive tunnel. They came out into the massive vent, which led to the throne room. They finally landed on the ledge throne. At the back of it a large, on a pedestal, sat a blue white moonstone the size of a watermelon and completely round. Next to the stone, was a small note from Draco;

_This stone will keep the island safe from humans and it will keep the volcano from erupting. _

"What did you do with the Vorpent?" Re asked Ruby.

"Draco took it," Ruby said. "I left it in the same place that moonstone is now. Last night Draco exchanged it for that stone."

"Well, I guess we don't have to worry about it then," Re said, laying down. The others followed suit. Chris and Serenity sat in their respective armchairs. Edelweiss sat next to Black Widow on her cushion, which was big enough for both of them. Aurora lit the fire place.

"Ah, that feels better," Tenor sighed. "Now we have two big castles."

"This castle doesn't belong to just us," said Aurora. "Nor does the Draconian Castle, they're both open to all dragons."

"Of course," said Tenor. He crossed his front paws and laid his head down on top of them. "You know I like a circle better than a line."

"That's why King Arthur made the Round Table," said Aurora. "So he and his knights had to look each other in the eye, as equals."

"And now it's my dining room table," Serenity said, amused.

"Like I said, times are always changing," Re chuckled.

"It seems this King Arthur has had quite an impression on Draconia," said Windwalker.

"He was a good king," Re said. "He wasn't perfect, but no good king is."

Suddenly a green and black Whippertail flew into the throne room, he seemed very anxious.

"Drake? What's wrong?" Re asked.

"Forgive this interruption your majesty," Drake panted. "But the diamond that was given to us by Lord Draco, is missing. We think it may have been stolen." All the Draconians became tense. Aurora growled.

"Have the other cities been notified?" Re asked.

"Yes," said Drake. "The Policedragons are searching everyone's cave."

"Thank you Drake," Re said. Drake spread his wings and flew off.

"Looks like we have another crisis on our talons," Tenor said. "Should we inform our allies?"

"The more people we have looking for it," said Aurora. "The faster we'll find it."

The Dracoians took off again and headed for Berk. Serenity, Ruby, Harmony, and Edelweiss stayed behind.

** Stay tuned for How to Steal a Dragon's Jewel. **


End file.
